


Duty and Discipline

by NonBinaryBread



Series: sin bin [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Concubines, Gen, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Underage, M/M, Manipulation, Mind Control, Puppet Cloud Strife, no sex occurs in this one its all mentioned!, sephiroth is still a dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 22:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17109677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonBinaryBread/pseuds/NonBinaryBread
Summary: How Zack stumbled upon trouble and decided it was a good idea to get involved.[Prequel to Prizes and Punishments]





	Duty and Discipline

**Author's Note:**

> im back yall. this took so long to finish but here i am just in time for the holidays! also i have no clue what to name the series so sin bin it is
> 
> Fun fact: my phone autocorrects sephiroth to SEPHIROTH bc apparently i yell about him a lot

Zack's first mistake was getting involved. No, his first mistake was ever even going outside that day.

As soon as he heard the unmistakable sound of someone in trouble his God's damned hero complex kicked in and he just couldn't let it go until he'd helped in some way.

In Zack's opinion it was a SOLDIER's duty to help anyone in need and no matter how many times Genesis told him he couldn't save everyone, that wouldn't change.  
Zack knows he can't save everyone, but he can damn well try. 

Angeal had to reschedule their training session due to a last minute meeting that day, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Still, maybe it should've cued him in on how the rest of the day would go.

He really hoped being promoted to 1st wouldn't also include endless meetings about SOLDIER's budget or something equally as boring.

With over an hour to kill, Zack decided to go out for a stroll. Aimlessly wandering around the different sectors sounded a lot more interesting than being stuck inside HQ. 

A flower wagon caught his eye and he started to make his way over to it - and it's very cute owner - when he noticed something troubling. 

Two suspicious looking figures were following a much smaller person into an alley. As if that wasn't bad enough, they were not so subtly glancing around as if to check that no one had noticed them. Everything about them practically screamed 'BAD GUYS WITH BAD INTENTIONS', so how could he not follow after them?

This proved to be a bit more difficult than he'd expected as he was standing in the middle of the unusually crowded Sector 8 square. Zack recognized a few of the more vocal Genesis fans in the crowd as he made his way through and now that he thought about it he vaguely remembered hearing something about a LOVELESS event. Trying to both keep an eye on the creeps and pushing through a crowd resulted in more than a few crushed toes and harsh insults, but Zack succeeded in making it to the other side relatively unscathed. 

Carefully peeking into the alley, he wasn't surprised to find the two creeps cornering the other person against the wall. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. 

"Two on one? That just ain't fair," Zack said, an easy smile on his face as he sauntered closer to the very cliche scene taking place in front of him. 

The creeps looked like the average ruffians from the slums, most likely looking for an easy victim to rob. There was just not enough troops in the infantry to keep them all at bay, but usually, they stayed under the plate. The guy they were harassing - and it was a guy to his surprise - looked... weird. He was too clean to belong under the plate, but his clothes were too ragged to be from above. 

"Who're you?" the guy closest to Zack asked gruffly before he could think any more on it. He was roughly the same height as him and didn't seem particularly well trained, an easy opponent in close combat. The other man, however, posed a bigger problem. He was, for the lack of a better word, large. Like Angeal, but taller and a lot less friendly.

"Doesn't really matter since you're gonna leave anyway."

The men shared a look before moving towards Zack. Their intentions were clear, but judging by their terrible stance they didn't even know the first thing about fighting. Zack sighed and was just about to start the inevitable when his PHS started chirping. He quickly looked at the display, grimaced, and answered the call.

"Hiiiiiii Angeal..."

He was met with a disappointed silence.

"I'm sorry, I know we're supposed to be training right now but listen-"

"I am listening, Zack. Eagerly."

"Well, I ran into some trouble and, um..." Zack glanced over at the aforementioned trouble who where... whispering furiously to each other? He could just barely make out something about Angeal and SOLDIER. They kept glancing his way like they wanted to reassure themselves Zack wasn't coming any closer.

...This could actually work out in his favor.

"Yeah, so Angeal I gotta go now, but I'll get back to you as soon as possible okay bye!" He ended the call before Angeal could even attempt to argue with him and turned back to the others with a wide grin.

"So, I'm guessing you figured it out, huh?"

The mean-looking Angeal glared at him, but nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly.  
"Let's go, man. Blondie ain't worth it," the other guy said and started tugging his friend towards the alleyway entrance.

Zack watched them leave and melt into the crowd before turning back to the... whatever he was.

"They won't bother you anymore. At least not for now." He took a step forward, intending to escort the man to a safer place, but froze when the other flinched visibly.

Shit.

"Hey, hey, I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?" What the hell were you supposed to do in this kind of situation? This wasn't exactly included in the training!

While Zack was silently panicking the blond eyed him warily for a minute.

"You're a SOLDIER, aren't you?" he asked, though it sounded more like he was accusing him of it.

"SOLDIER 2nd Class Zack Fair, at your service!" Zack smiled brightly and tried not to take offense when the guy's glare hardened the more he spoke. He expected a bit more gratitude after saving an almost-assault victim. 

"Only a 2nd? I'm a little hurt they didn't send anyone more... important."

Wait, what?

"Wha-"

"Come on, let's go," the guy, the little shit, pushed past him and began navigating around the crowded square while Zack was left reeling from the, the, the everything.

"Hey! What the hell does that mean?" he shouted in the general direction of where the blond had disappeared. "Wait!"  
Zack took off after him, shoving his way to the other side of the square and pissing off everyone that happened to stand in his path. Again.

To his surprise, the blond was waiting for him. At least, he assumed so since he was tapping his foot and looking at him expectantly. 

"Get a move on, slowpoke! I haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

This was probably one of the weirdest conversations he'd ever had in his admittedly fairly short life.

"Where exactly are we going? And why can't you just go on your own?" 

"ShinRa HQ. It's better if I have a convoy of sorts," he replied cryptically. When Zack only gave him an utterly lost look he continued. "Think of it as a regular escort mission." The blond started to slowly walk backward in the direction of HQ. He raised an eyebrow in question when Zack didn't move. 

Zack thought about it for a solid 20 seconds, sighed, and then followed the little bastard.

-

"Can you actually answer when I ask you a question? Like, what's your name?"

"Can't say."

Zack let out a long, unintelligible groan of frustration.

"Why."

"I'm sorry, but that's above your clearance level," the blond replied with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Zack just glared at him. He officially hated this man. He was short and frustrating and had ridiculous hair and... looked surprisingly young now that he thought about it. He frowned.

"How old are you anyway?"

The blond paused, surprise and confusion playing over his - young, so very young - features before smoothing out into something neutral. "Depends on what year it is."

That's not an answer, Zack wanted to say. Instead, he kept quiet and they settled into an uncomfortable silence the rest of the way.

-

It somehow got even weirder when they arrived at the gates. There was a lot of shouting, approximately ten guards and surprisingly no fighting involved. The ten guards were only interested in the blond and ushering him inside.

Zack tried to talk to some of them. 'Tried' being the keyword. They refused to answer any of his questions and just shoved him aside when he got in their way.

In the end, he was left standing by the front gates, alone and completely dumbfounded.

Who the hell was that guy?

-

Zack was angry.

Angeal refused to say a single word about anything to do with the blond boy and Genesis only mocked him when he brought it up.

The other SOLDIER's either didn't know anything or had been ordered to keep him in the dark.

It was at times like this that Zack really felt the class difference between himself and Angeal. He'd always thought of him as a mentor, but right now he seemed more like an overprotective parent. 

But he wasn't some kid who had just run away from home to become a SOLDIER anymore. Zack was almost 20 and well on his way of becoming the youngest 1st Class to date. And it was he who had found the boy, not the guards or some other SOLDIER, so didn't he have a right to know what was going on?

Zack walked down the hallway on some floor in HQ. He didn't know exactly where he was as he'd just pushed a button randomly in the elevator, hoping that walking would clear his mind a bit.  
So far it wasn't working.

At least everyone left him alone during his pacing and angry squatting.

"Hey, Zack!"

Almost everyone at least.

Zack turned around to see an unfamiliar SOLDIER 2nd lift a hand in greeting. Or, well, he assumed he didn't know this guy. It was a bit hard to see with the helmet on.

"Hi...?" he said, tentatively.  
The guy with the helmet gave him a crooked grin and held out his hand. Zack shook it.  
"The name's Kunsel. I think I have information you might want."

Zack straightened immediately and squinted suspiciously at Kunsel. The guy was a bit weird, but he didn't seem like he had bad intentions so he decided it couldn't hurt to hear him out.  
... and also because he was really, really curious what he was gonna tell him.

"What kind of info?" Zack asked.

"It's about your little friend from before. I know how to get to him and I'm willing to help you out."

It seemed too good to be true, but he'd take any help he could get at this point.

"What's the catch?"

"There's no catch." Kunsel took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to Zack. He unfolded it carefully, afraid to tear it if this truly would lead him to his goal.

It was a map. Hand drawn and crooked with labels for different places in HQ scrawled hastily above the little squares.

"You have really bad handwriting," Zack said while squinting at what seemed to be a B, but could also be an O if he turned his head a bit to the right.

Kunsel huffed angrily.  
"I couldn't risk getting caught while looking for the actual blueprints in the network. This is the best I've got so take it or leave it." He looked like he was half a second away from snatching the map back out of his hands so Zack quickly folded it and stuffed it in his back pocket.

"So I only need to follow this, then?"

"Under no circumstances can you be seen by anyone. I don't know what will happen if someone sees you and I honestly don't want to know. You're on your own."

"Aww, you worried about me, Kunsel?" Zack teased, but Kunsel's serious expression didn't change. It was a bit unnerving looking at where his eyes would be behind the helmet.

"I'm worried about the king discovering what I've done if you're caught. He won't be pleased with either of us if that happens."

... well, that's encouraging.

"Don't get caught. Got it." Zack was starting to wonder if it was really worth the trouble. But on the other hand, he'd already come this far so he might as well finish it.

"I took the liberty of getting your PHS number while I was at it. Keep me updated, will you?" Kunsel then started walking away, apparently done with the conversation. Zack, on the other hand, felt entirely out of the loop. What was so important about the boy that it was considered treason to even know of his existence?

"Wait, why are you helping me?" Zack shouted after him. Kunsel turned around and smiled secretively   
"I just want to see what'll happen. Good luck finding your white rabbit, Alice!"  
And with that, he turned and left.

Was there seriously no one in this place that didn't talk entirely in riddles?

-

Mission "What The Hell Am I Doing" commences on a Wednesday at exactly 2 p.m.

The mission was aborted at 2.13 when Zack leaned against an open door in an attempt at being sneaky, fell down through the opening and immediately alerted the guards.  
Zack managed to convince the guards he just came out from the science department after a mako injection and was desperately searching for a bathroom.

He then rushed back to his apartment and hyperventilated for a few minutes before trying again.

Mission "I Hate Myself So Much" was much more successful, but Zack wasn't so sure that was a good thing, even if there weren't any more guards to hide from this far into the lion's den.

According to the map he was technically in the right place. "The right place" just happened to be a lot bigger and more maze-like than the map made it out to be.

If he just kind of, wandered around for a bit he was bound to find someone, right?

-

He did find someone after a while, or more correctly, someone found him.  
... by running directly into him and knocking them both to the ground.

"Oh for fuck's sake," a very familiar voice said. Zack could not believe his luck and opened his mouth to voice that thought, but the blond was already on his feet.

"Oh, no you don't!" he exclaimed and grabbed the other's ankle, causing him to fall back down. "I want some answers this time!"

"What the hell are you doing?" the blond hissed and Zack had to quickly dodge some very well-aimed kicks.

"Can you- stay still goddamnit!"

"Get off me!"

"No!"

To Zack's surprise, he actually did stop trying to squirm out of his grip. The blond took a deep breath before speaking in a much calmer voice.

"We have to go right now, or the guards will find us."

"Oh."

Zack let the other's foot go so they could both stand up again. The blond then grabbed his hand and led the way through the maze of corridors.

They were being followed, but Zack couldn't make out exactly how many. He could hear at least four different voices some ways behind them. He had no idea which way led back to the unrestricted area? so he just had to blindly trust that this guy knew where he was going.

After many twists and turns, the blond finally stopped in front of a door and opened it using a very strange looking key card. Zack couldn't dwell on it any longer before being pulled inside.

The entire room was practically covered in blankets and other soft furniture. There was at least five pillows on the bed and a few more on the various sofas and loveseats placed around the room. It was a bit of an overkill in his opinion.

Someone knocked on the door, startling the blond and, surprisingly, Zack too. They must've gone all out on the sound-proofing when they built this place. By the look on blondies face, he was not expecting any visitors which only left one explanation: someone had spotted them.

This was absolutely the moment everything would go to hell. This was the exact situation he was supposed to avoid! Oh, Gaia, Kunsel would die too and it was all his fault. Zack could only hope he'd already said his goodbyes to all of his loved ones just in case something like this happened.

"Get in the closet," the blond ordered. Zack only blinked at him. They were already screwed so why even bother?

"Now."

Zack decided to simply obey without question, just this once. The closet was fairly large too so he couldn't complain much. 

The door clicked shut and then Zack was submerged in darkness. It felt very strange when the silky fabrics of the clothes - wait, was that lace? - brushed against him, especially when he couldn't see them. There were no cracks in the wood that he could look through so he had to rely solely on his hearing. Zack pressed his ear to the door, being careful not to accidentally open it, and listened.

The knocking, having evolved into flat-out pounding by now, persisted until the blond finally unlocked the door.

"What do you want?" he said, succeeding in sounding supremely bored and angry at the same time.

"We know you tried to escape again," a masculine voice said. Probably one of the guards that had followed them earlier.

"Yeah. And? I'm still here aren't I?" 

The guard... sighed? It went on forever, the longest sigh he'd ever heard, and the amount of exhaustion audible was honestly impressive. Zack just barely heard murmured words of comfort from what he assumed were the rest of the guards.

"Mark, go take a nap or something," another voice, also male and vaguely familiar, chimed in. "You look like shit. And take the rest of your crew with you, I can handle this." 

Everything then went quiet except for the sound of shuffling footsteps. Zack was starting to get a cramp in his leg from standing in such an awkward position. He really wished this new guy would leave soon before his legs fell asleep too.

"Oh, you can 'handle this', can you?" the blond said and Zack could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"I don't think anyone can handle you without breaking you down first," the new guy replied with a laugh. "Even that would take some real effort." 

"But we both know I'm not here to chat, so I'm just gonna ask you this once: where's the trespasser?"

"Someone made it past the guards? Impressive. But I spend all my time trying to get out, so why do you think I'm helping someone else get in?"

"So you wouldn't mind if I took a look around the room? Since you obviously don't have anything to hide."

The blond snorted at that.  
"That has got to be the worst excuse to look through my closet I've heard from you yet, Reno."

Zack's heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest and a cold sweat had started to crawl its way down his back.  
How could he talk about the closet, where Zack was currently hiding, without seeming the slightest bit bothered? The blond was either ballsy as hell or didn't realize the severity of their situation.

Wait - Reno? Wasn't that one of Cissnei's co-workers? What the hell was a Turk doing here?

"Cut me some slack, Cloud. How else am I supposed to know if you keep my gifts or not?" 

There was a slight pause.

"... please tell me you didn't bring me another one," the blond -- Cloud? -- asked desperately, sounding like he was already dreading the answer. 

"Of course I did!" The crinkle of plastic. "I hope you'll put it to good use."

"I'm gonna burn it."

"You aren't."

"No, I'm gonna hide it with the rest of your shit because we both know what will happen if someone finds out a fucking Turk has been buying me gifts!"

"... but you'll keep it."

"Fuck off, Reno or I'll shove this thing down your fucking throat."

"Jeez, I'm going, I'm going." The door opened again. "See ya soon, Blondie!"

The closet door opened as soon as Reno was outside. Either it was the sudden light or pure amazement that blinded him, either way, Zack was in awe. 

"... how did you do that?"  
Cloud snorted.  
"Reno is easily distracted. He only comes here to get a rise out of me." The blond then flopped down on the nearest couch and fixed Zack with an intense stare. "So, what is it that you came here for?"

"Uh, well, I, you see..." he floundered a bit, trying to figure out what it was he came here for. He did set his career - and possibly also his life - on the line so he sure as hell hoped he had a good reason for it too. "I'm... not sure"

"If you came here to get laid you should've just gone to the Honeybee Inn." Zack almost choked on his own spit, but Cloud continued on, completely unperturbed by the other's blatant discomfort.  
"Death by treason sex does sound like a great way to go though..."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zack demanded in a slightly hysterical tone. Cloud actually paused at that and squinted at him suspiciously.  
"... do you know what I am?"  
"Honestly? No!"  
"Well, shit."

 

15 minutes later, Zack found himself sitting in one of the ridiculously plush loveseats with an equally soft blanket draped over his shoulders. Cloud sat in a similar loveseat opposite him, sans the blanket. 

"You're a SOLDIER, right? 2nd class?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, before I say anything you have to know that you're not actually supposed to know any of this. It's for the best if you just keep your mouth shut, got it?"

Zack nodded and steeled himself to listen and not get distracted for once.

"As far as I know only the first class SOLDIERS know about us, about... I guess you can call us concubines."

And that's when Zack's entire world fell apart.

According to Cloud, the hidden area he'd managed to infiltrate was reserved for the concubines ("The king's pets," Cloud spat out in disgust.) and only a select few knew of its existence.

It was a tightly woven secret Zack wished he hadn't discovered the more he found out.

"We aren't allowed anywhere except our quarters and the common room," Cloud explained. "It's like a prison."

"But you got out, even with all those guards?"

"Yeah, the guards never change their patrol so it's easy to figure out a way around them." Cloud shot him a smug smile, but it faded just as fast as it had appeared. "I'm the only one that even tries to get out here so it's not exactly a huge problem."

"The others... they see this as some kind of gift, a privilege." Cloud let out a harsh laugh. "I just don't understand them. Maybe it's because they're all from Midgar or something."

Zack latched on to the offhanded remark like a man starving.

"So! Where, where are you from?"

Smooth.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at the obvious topic change but answered nevertheless. "Nibelheim." 

Zack tried his best to remember the worn map of the world that the teacher in Gongaga had proudly hung at the front of their classroom. Unfortunately, he hadn't paid much attention in school and as of yet had only been sent on a handful of missions outside Midgar. It was safe to say his knowledge of geography was sorely lacking.

"Sounds like a great place!"

"I don't think anyone who's ever been to Nibelheim would say that, but I'm sure you mean it."

Was... was Cloud teasing him? The little smile on his face seemed to say that so hopefully he was doing something right.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm from a backwater town too, so show some respect!" 

Cloud's eyes gleamed with interest. Jackpot.

"Really? Where?"

Zack puffed up his chest and proudly announced: "Gongaga." 

Cloud burst into laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Zack demanded, utterly offended.

"What kind of name is Gongaga?" The other asked breathlessly in between giggles.

"I could say the same about Nibelheim!"

As the laughter died down Zack sighed wistfully. "Man, I haven't been home since I joined SOLDIER. My parents will kill me."

"I actually came here for SOLDIER. Didn't even make the entrance exam."

Before he could reply the two were interrupted by the gentle chiming of a mechanical bell. It was only now that Zack actually noticed the small speaker in the upper corner of the room. Thankfully he didn't see any cameras...

"Mealtime," Cloud explained, nodding at the speaker. "You should go before they come to drag me over there." 

If he was sad about being left alone again he was hiding it well under that blank mask of indifference. Zack might work for the guy Cloud hates the most, but it must get boring living in isolation like this. Besides, he didn't have anything to lose by just asking, right?

"I can come back some other time?" Zack offered and if he was a little hopeful that Cloud would say yes no one had to know.

"I'll be impressed if you manage to find your way back here a second time," Cloud snarked, a hint of a smile on his lips showing he wasn't completely opposed to the idea. 

"I'll come back here and tell you all about SOLDIER! Maybe then you'll see we're not all bad," Zack jumped up and gave Cloud his most winning grin. Cloud still didn't seem entirely convinced and Zack suspected it wasn't about his sense of direction. 

He straightened his back and put one hand over his heart. "I swear on my honor and my mentors honor that I will come back," he declared seriously. 

"Zack, I don't even know who your mentor is."

Zack thought quickly, so quickly even Genesis would be impressed. At least in Zack's opinion.

"Fine, then how about this?" He stuck his pinky finger out.

Cloud looked at him incredulously.

"Hey, don't diss the pinky swear! It's the holiest promise there is."

Cloud did hook his finger with Zack's, but not before sighing in the most put-upon way possible.

"You better show up after all this."

"I would never break a promise."

-

When the day finally came Cloud fought tooth and nail for his freedom. He knew he wasn't nearly good enough at fighting to take down a guard, much less a whole squad of them, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna go down quietly. 

So loudly they went, four guards, each holding a flailing limb while the rest walked in a circle around them. Down the halls he hated oh so much, past his peers who looked on with pity in their eyes but for all the wrong reasons. Them he hated even more, at least for now.

Truthfully, Cloud pitied them as well. They were delusional, brainwashed even, to believe so strongly that this was acceptable, that this was a gift. He was the only one here capable of seeing the truth.

So, no. Cloud didn't hate them. They were just as much of a victim as he was, even if they didn't realize it. But right here, right now? He hated them. He hated them because they wouldn't help him no matter how much he begged them to. They would only look on as he was taken away against his will. He hated them because he knew he was alone. 

Cloud just wanted someone else to come save him for once. He wanted some knight in shining armor to take make everything all right, to fix everything. He wanted it so badly his heart ached and his eyes burned because he was so tired of fighting alone.

After he met Zack he began to hope again. He wasn't alone anymore. He had a friend. So when he asked Zack to save him in a spur of desperation he thought his fairytale ending was only moments away. Zack was as close to a knight he could get after all.

But... Zack said no and he was alone once again. He didn't blame him honestly, couldn't even if he tried. He'd seen the conflict in his eyes, he knew Zack wanted to help him, but in the end, he was one of the king's men. Cloud should have known this was gonna happen. Could have saved him a whole lot of pain.

The guards finally put him down in front of the doors to the throne room. He'd never been inside before, only seen others go in and rarely come out.

A hand on the back of his head forced him to look down on the ground. Cloud glared at his feet, they could have just asked. Then again, not many were allowed to even speak to the concubines outside of their halls.

They led him inside in silence. Every step brought him closer to the man Cloud hated the most. Sephiroth. He wasn't even allowed to look up, but he wasn't sure he wanted to. It would make the moment more final, more real, if he saw his face. Now he could just pretend the guards were leading him into an empty room.

They stopped suddenly, and he was roughly pushed down to his knees. Then, strangely enough, the guards left. This was not at all going the way he'd expected. A small, pathetic part of him wanted to beg the guards to stay. Cloud stayed quiet and continued to stare at the ground, trying his best not to give away just how hard his heart was beating. 

The doors closed.

He looked up.

-

The heavy doors to the throne room opened and he was ushered inside. The king was already there, looking more like a statue than a man where he sat on his throne. For some reason Angeal and Genesis were there too, standing stiffly before the king. The doors closed with a dull thud that echoed in the otherwise silent room. He only had time to exchange questioning glances with the other two before Sephiroth began to speak.

"I asked you all to come here because I have heard of the many things you've all done in the past few months. Most are good, but," he paused and fixed his unblinking stare at Zack as if he could see through him and into his very core. Like he was listening in on his thoughts and judged him for them accordingly. It was beyond unnerving, but Zack did not move his eyes from the kings. He didn't dare move at all.

"Some are concerning," he trailed off, still scanning Zack's face for... for something.

It suddenly hit him.

Oh, Gaia, he knows. He knows that he's friends with Cloud. That Zack is aware of what Cloud is and still decided to talk to him.

Zack felt lightheaded all of a sudden. He had known from the beginning that this was probably the worst idea he'd ever had, but he'd done it anyway. And at what cost? His rank? His job?

His life?

From what he knew as a SOLDIER the king wasn't really the type to execute people if they'd broken the law, but from what he'd heard from Cloud he wasn't so sure anymore.

The king finally looked away, a kind of satisfied look on his face. He'd found what he'd been looking for. Zack could move again.

"Well, I won't take up any more time than is strictly necessary," Sephiroth said and he smiled just a tiny bit.

It wasn't a very nice smile, in Zack's opinion. More of a promise of imminent doom than a show of happiness. It did not reassure him that he'd live to see tomorrow.

Zack shifted uncomfortably under the kings piercing gaze but stubbornly met his eyes head on. Sephiroth's smile grew just a small bit bigger and Zack swore he saw his life flash before his eyes.

"Cloud, come here."

Zack froze.

He watched as a door behind the throne opened tentatively and a very familiar blond walked in. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that he was most likely on the brink of a panic attack, but he was too busy trying to get his breathing started again to really process that.

He's going to kill them both right now in front of Angeal. That's just cruel, letting them see each other before he kills them. Why didn't Cloud run while he still had the chance? Why was he just walking obediently to his death? What the hell was going on?

Cloud was-  
Zack stopped for a second.  
Cloud was practically naked. Had they taken his clothes or something? It was kind of distracting seeing him in what he assumed was supposed to pass for underwear. What really surprised Zack was that he didn't seem bothered in the slightest by his severe lack of clothing.  
Cloud looked like he wasn't even aware of it, aware of anything.

Except for Sephiroth, a small voice whispered. Dread curled unpleasantly in his stomach at the thought of Sephiroth, of the king, drugging Cloud to make him more pliant.

"So, shall we get started?" Sephiroth asked, amusement and satisfaction radiating off of him in waves.

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate ending to this entire universe: aerith appears and smacks sephiroth so hard every little bit of jenova flies out, killing her instantly. Tifa is cheering in the background. Sephiroth stops being such a dick and everyone is happy. the end.
> 
> im so tired.


End file.
